


Crumbling Walls

by Djaeka



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, Anxiety, F/M, Gen, Guilt, Identity Reveal, LadyNoir - Freeform, Marichat, Mild Injuries, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Post-Reveal Love Square, Pre-Relationship, Reveal, adrienette - Freeform, ladrien, multi-chapter fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-05-31 10:35:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19424233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Djaeka/pseuds/Djaeka
Summary: A building collapsing on top of Ladybug and him wasn't in Adrien's plan for the day. Losing his transformation while still inside wasn't either. He'd hoped revealing who he was would be a lot more of a romantic moment than this, with a lot less of his own failure involved. He should be proud that even with Ladybug injured, he successfully brought her out of immediate danger. But his self-directed guilt and fear eats at him after the fact as well.





	1. Cracked Foundations

  
The building overhead creaked with the strain of keeping the roof from collapsing. Adrien shuddered as it groaned and bowed slightly before becoming a silently threatening presence once more. He held his position over Ladybug’s downed form for a few moments longer, until the silence became too deafening to bear. Stretching his limbs and rising out of his crouch slightly, he took stock of his new surroundings.

Several support beams were destroyed inside the tall building, dropping the roof onto the upper balcony area of the fancy concert hall. The akuma responsible clearly knew what she was doing. She’d aimed directly for five of the eight beams before retreating to leave them trapped inside.

_She probably trusted it would be too hard for me to get Ladybug out while injured._ Adrien gritted his teeth and glared at the blocked entrance to the building. It had been a stupid trap to fall into.

It was his fault, of course.

The worst part of it was that Ladybug ended up taking the hit meant for him this time and was currently unconscious. She’d probably need to be treated for that despite the Cure, assuming they managed to beat the akuma. Ladybug made a quiet noise, almost a pained groan. Adrien froze.

Because that was the other part that complicated this.

The part that was his fault.

He’d been tricked into destroying the sixth pillar with Cataclysm, meaning his suit was gone. And since they’d successfully evacuated the building prior to the collapse, they’d been the only ones left in the area. There was no one else around and he couldn’t pretend he wasn’t Chat, so he’d messed up his identity too. _Well, as soon as Ladybug looks up anyway._

“Chat? Why am I pinned down?” Ladybug groaned as she tried to get up and Adrien tensed above her. “Chat?”

“Bug, I lost my transformation. And I don’t really see any way out of this with my identity intact, but I’m trying to think of something.” He sighed, deciding honesty was probably best in this case. They were a team, after all. He didn’t want to hide _anything_ from her. The decision of whether he managed to keep his identity or not should be made together. Ladybug froze for a moment and he held his breath.

“Um, okay. Let me think,” she muttered, going quiet. Adrien waited patiently, using the time to look around for any other options available.

“Are you wearing anything that can be a mask? Or do you have food for your kwami?”

Adrien shook his head before remembering she couldn’t see it. “Ah, no. I have an over-shirt but without scissors or anything I’m afraid it’s not a very good option. And _Plagg_ apparently ate all his cheese earlier today.” He looked around for Plagg, intending to shoot a vicious glare in his direction, but got distracted when Ladybug sucked in a sharp breath and gasped painfully.

“Are you okay?” Panic struck him. Had he missed an injury? She groaned as she prodded at her limbs.

“Leg. Hurts, but I don’t know why. Suit’s probably in the way.”

“Shit. Okay, so. All exits are blocked. I’m out of my suit. Akuma is outside somewhere terrorizing people. The ceiling is about to fall, and you’re injured so that you can’t really walk? Did I miss any other disasters currently happening?” He scrubbed at his face with one hand as he spoke.

“The ceiling is collapsing?!” She screeched in terror. Adrien nodded again, still knowing she couldn’t see him but hoping she felt the movement all the same.

“Oh crap. Crap crap crap. Okay. Do you have any ideas on how to get out of here?”

“Yeah-“

“That don’t compromise your identity,” she sighed, interrupting.

“No.”

Ladybug sighed again, heavier, and Adrien could practically hear her gearing up for her usual identity lecture.

“Before you say it, I’m not just being reckless. I honestly don’t see any other options. You’re hurt, I took a pretty good hit to the ribs earlier, and I’m probably going to have to play civilian when we leave the building. It’s going to look _incredibly_ weird if you won’t look at me,” he finished wryly.

“…That’s actually a really good point, Chat. What’s your plan?”

“You look up and we deal with that first. Then there’s a slab of something over that far door on the North end,” he gestured uselessly in the direction of the door. “Sound okay? Can you do any heavy lifting if I support you so you don’t put weight on that leg?”

“Yeah, I think so. Good enough plan; good job, Kitty. I’ll need a place to detransform and you’ll need kwami food after we’re out of here.”

Adrien’s stomach dropped a bit at her words. Granted, his identity needed to be revealed for a specific reason and she had no obligation to do the same, but he’d still kind of hoped…

“Okay then. Chat, are you ready?”

“Yeah, I suppose I am.” Adrien looked down, preparing for his lady to _see_ him. She hesitated for another moment, scrunching and relaxing her face repeatedly as she psyched herself up. She had finally turned her face upward, eyes closed, when she felt his poorly suppressed chuckle. Her nose wrinkled adorably and he held back the urge to nuzzle it with his own. The wait was slower than any he’d ever had for a videogame, or movie, or word from his father on something he asked for. Ladybug eased her eyes open gingerly. Clear, sunny blue eyes refocused briefly before widening as she recognized his face. He had a second to start to worry about her reaction before Ladybug squawked an unintelligible panicky sound and scrambled backwards in a sloppy crabwalk.

His stomach fell as he saw his Lady’s efforts to get away from him. _Great, she hates me._

“Okay, well if you hate me we don’t have to be part-“

“Oh god I kissed you.”

_What?_

“What?”

“Oh my god, I’ve thrown you at akuma! And I told you _I like another boy!_ ” She started screeching and didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.

“Okay, we’re gonna have to unpack all of that later because clearly there’s a lot. Can we get out of here first?” Adrien inwardly groaned, starting to resign himself to losing her friendship. _Great, she doesn’t hate me, she’s a **fan.** Funny how that feels even worse than her hating me._

Ladybug clenched her fists and muttered to herself before speaking. “Okay, let’s do this.”

Adrien stood, gingerly hoisting Ladybug up to stand beside him. They made their way steadily toward the exit, Ladybug hopping on one foot as Adrien patiently supported her.

He easily balanced his Lady near the door as she maneuvered her arms into place to shove the chunk of ceiling out of their path.

“Ready, Kitty?”

Adrien drew in a deep, steadying breath before responding. “Yeah. I’m good, My Lady.”

Ladybug made an odd whining noise in the back of her throat and Adrien quickly looked over to see pale pink at her cheekbones and a stunned expression. “Bug?”

Another high-pitched squeak from her made Adrien furrow his brows. He watched her with his head tilted to the side. Ladybug jumped and shook her head rapidly.

“Sorry. Hard to remember you’re still just the flirty cat when you look like Adrien,” she rushed, gesturing to his entire form with one hand. Annoyance bubbled up, scratching under his skin and pricking the backs of his eyes. Ladybug continued to babble, oblivious to his rising irritation. “I mean, sometimes it’s hard to remember you don’t mean it.”

“What?” Adrien replied, barely audible.

“It’s fine, I get it, flirt with whoever you like, but it’s really hard to take your feelings seriously when you do it with _everyone_ and I always just thought Adrien was different and now you’re the same person and that’s weird- Sorry! You’re ready, right? I’m gonna shove this thing now.”

Rant abruptly over, Ladybug planted her palms and shoved the rock as hard as she could manage with her leg in the air. Adrien, having previously frozen while processing the rapidly babbled speech, almost lost his balance as she did. The rock groaned once, and started rolling along one of the less jagged surfaces. Both teens stood silently, watching the slow progress as the door was gradually uncovered.

“Okay, so- Ah!” Ladybug started to speak, but Adrien wasn’t sure he could take any more unfair accusations from the woman he loved, and had started to move toward the exit. Unfortunately, failing to consult his partner resulted in both of them hitting the floor hard. Ladybug clutched her leg and hissed as Adrien, having landed on his side, rolled to his back and stared at the ceiling.

He blinked several times to kill the emotions prodding at him to react. His eyes burned. His teeth tingled painfully. His stomach was clenched and tight. None of this was fair. He’d looked forward to revealing his identity to his Lady for years, dreamed of how magical and special their relationship could grow to be once they did. And none of it was going in his favor.

Ladybug was a fan of his, but only of idealized Adrien. She got upset at his usual pet names because she didn’t like _Adrien_ being anything like _Chat_. She thought he was a relentless flirt. Insincere. She liked perfect model son Adrien. And now that she knew that wasn’t really him? She didn’t want him. He’d only ever had a chance with her if he’d been the version of him that was miserable and lonely.

“Adrien?”

He’d never been good enough for his talented and driven father to love him, so he turned cold and harsh toward his son. He’d never been good enough for his beautiful and sweet mother to stay, so she’d left him alone. And now he could see he’d never be good enough for his Lady, who was all of those descriptions and more. Which one of those things would she do? Shun him? Leave him? Something far worse that he could never imagine? He closed his eyes and yielded the fight, uncaring as the tears flowed freely.

“-please Adrien, I don’t know what I did wrong!” The nervous, plaintive wail Ladybug let out caused Adrien’s eyes to snap open. She was laying awkwardly over his body, trying not to move her injured leg. He grimaced. _Failed again._

“Sorry. I’ll get up. I’ll get you out of here so you can go beat the akuma,” he forced the words flatly out past his momentary grief, and resigned himself to dealing with the emotions later in the safety of his room.

“We.” She wasn’t moving to leave. Why wasn’t she moving?

“What?”

“So _we_ can beat the akuma.” His head raised as his eyes met hers. Cold steel blue met shocked green and it was all he could do not to let his knees go to jelly under the intensity of her gaze.

“We are a team. Partners. It is _super weird_ to find out you’re you, but you are my Chat. And if you think you get to bail out on this, you are sorely mistaken. We are in this dumpster fire together, kitty cat.” Adrien was relatively sure his eyes couldn’t go any wider. _Surely_ they’d fall out if they did.

_She doesn’t want to leave me. She doesn’t want me **but she doesn’t want to leave me!**_

“Okay,” he whispered, joy at having her in any way overriding his emotional meltdown. “Where do you want me to leave you to transform back? I’ll get you there and leave so I don’t see-“

“Nope. Together. Dumpster fire. Take me home and I’ll get your kwami a snack.”

“Home? My…home?” Adrien stammered, struggling to work through her thought process.

“No, mine.” She frowned in a particularly intimidating manner and he was sure she’d stomp her foot if she wasn’t injured.

“I literally don’t even know your name,” He grumbled, flapping his arms in the air as he turned away from her.

“It’s Marinette.”

He audibly sucked air down, spinning back in time to catch Marinette as she detransformed and stumbled into his arms from the pain in her leg. She buried her face in his chest, letting her kwami settle on her shoulder.

“Take me home, Kitty.”


	2. Plastering Drywall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette have survived the akuma attack that revealed their identities to one another. They refuse to ignore each other, but that doesn’t make speaking to their partner any easier.

“So what now?” Adrien sat meekly on the edge of Marinette’s chaise. He watched as she paced around the room, frantically muttering to herself. She glanced at him, blushed heavily, and promptly turned to face her kwami.

_Tikki,_ he reminded himself, _she said her kwami is named Tikki._ The being in question sat on a small cushion on Marinette’s desktop, steadily munching her way through a chocolate chip cookie the size of her head. Plagg sat nearby, ignoring the cheese in front of him and casting furrowed glances at Adrien when he thought his charge wasn’t looking.

The building-wrecking akuma that trapped them inside a crumbling concert hall had been dealt with, but the damage was done. They knew who the other was now and nothing was going to erase that. And despite their ability to function side by side during the fight, neither seemed to be able to formulate words around the other without painful levels of blushing and stammering. Adrien watched Marinette whisper to Tikki while waving her arms around her body. _I have wasted so much time trying to ignore how cute this girl is._ He sighed and fished his phone out of his pocket.

“Here.” He held out the phone while carefully controlling his voice into a (hopefully) neutral tone so it would waver less.

“Why are you- Why are you handing me your phone?” Her eyebrows pinched and lips pursed, but she kept her eyes locked on Adrien’s.

“Well, if you plug your number in, I’ll be able to contact you outside of akuma attacks. If something happens near me, I can let you know. And vice versa. Plus, it would probably be good for us to be able to cover for each other. Our stories will be a lot more believable that way.” Marinette nodded, evidently agreeing with his logic. She took his phone and proceeded to plug her information into the device. Adrien watched her as she did, allowing his shoulders to drop a bit as her attention left him. Another moment that wasn’t exactly what he hoped it would be.

He’d always believed he’d see the girl under the mask someday. But it should have been a moment of triumph and celebration, not defeat. He’d finally gotten more from his Lady than ever before.

And so much less than he’d hoped for.

“Alright Chat. Call me so I have yours.” She handed the phone back without looking directly at him and he complied.

“Okay, so…rules I guess. We can’t act more familiar at school than usual.” Adrien held a finger up as he spoke, trying to order his thoughts while knowing all the lines between Adrien and Chat, Ladybug and Marinette had blurred in irreparable ways. “But because something is bound to slip eventually, we need to _become_ more familiar as Adrien and Marinette.”

“What do you mean?” Marinette slowly breathed, barely above a whisper. She drew an audibly shaky breath in and he swallowed. _Man, she really doesn’t like me being Chat._

“I mean we need to spend more time together. As friends?” Adrien held his breath, desperately hoping his (entirely innocent!) proposal would hit all the right points. If he framed it with just enough “protect our identities” logic, she’d buy into it. _And then I would actually get to spend more time with My Lady, even if it’s just as friends._

“I guess I can…start inviting you and Alya and Nino for lunch more? I mean, I already invite Alya over a lot, but if I include you and Nino, it’ll be a subtle enough start so that eventually we can spend more time alone-“ she paused, looking his direction as Adrien briefly choked on air, only continuing when he waved her on. “And then the familiarity won’t seem so weird.”

“Good plan,” he croaked, hoarse from the little episode. “And since I’ve already invited you to photoshoots and shows before, it’s not a stretch to do a bit more of that.”

“Oh, that’s good, I hadn’t thought of that one.” Marinette tapped her lips with a finger, looking at her ceiling thoughtfully. “It could cause a couple problems though…”

“What kind of problems?”

“Alya problems mostly. She’s immediately going to notice the change and she’s definitely going to think there’s more to it than there is.” He watched Marinette’s frown developing and had to forcibly lower his shoulders when they tried to raise up to his ears. He vainly tried to do the same with his hopes.

“What is she going to see?”

“Oh, she’s definitely going to think you want to date me.”

_Because I **do!**_ His mind screamed at him, but his logical, functioning side managed to ignore it.

“If that’s a problem, we can tell her the truth. We’re just friends.” God, it was killing him to say that now. Of course, he probably deserved it for all the other times he said it. Absorbed in his own thoughts, he watched her own falling expression and shoulders without processing her mood.

“Sure. Yeah. Sounds like a good idea. Let’s do that.”

“Okay. Any other rules you can think of?” He couldn’t take much more of this conversation. The need to hide in his room and cry soundlessly into a pillow was nearly all-consuming at this stage.

“Um, yes. Though it’s more of a suggestion. We weren’t supposed to reveal our identities, but we don’t have to pretend it didn’t happen?” She wrung her hands together and he cocked his head a bit to the side. “We should definitely hang out more, and not just for show. I think it might make us a better team? You’re welcome to come over here anytime, as Adrien or Chat. I know your dad isn’t always around, so…” She trailed off, biting a fingernail.

“Seriously? You’d let me come over and visit you?” he whispered, keeping a tight reign on the hope trying to push its way out from behind his lungs. His fingers tingled slightly from the effort and his chest felt light. Or maybe from forgetting to breathe momentarily.

“Well, yeah. I know Adrien and Marinette aren’t close, but Chat is Ladybug’s best friend. And since there’s obviously more about you than I knew, I’d like the chance to…know you better?” She ended in a question and he couldn’t help but wonder if she was asking him if he felt the same.

“Oh,” he breathed, “You’re my best friend too. I’d love to spend more time with you.” _I love you._ “You’re welcome at my house anytime too. But ah. Probably best as Ladybug since I’m not allowed that many visitors outside of schoolwork. Anytime though!”

Marinette beamed at Adrien and his heart stuttered painfully. _God, I’d give anything to see that smile every day._ He smiled back, the first real one since the akuma fight started earlier that day.

“Start now?”

“Start what?” he parroted stupidly.

She giggled, the sound like birds celebrating the morning sun. His limbs felt weightless.

“Spending time together, silly cat.” Pink stained her cheeks and she looked away. “We could watch a movie or play games or something?”

“Mecha Strike?”

“Sounds perfect.”

A grin broke over his face as he recalled the first time they’d played. He leaned forward just a bit. “Are you gonna let me try any treats this time?” Mari gasped and placed a hand on her chest as if offended.

“How dare you? You had quiche last time!”

“Yeah, but you didn’t let me have anything else!” His grin widened as he teased, fully in his element and prior mood pushed aside. He moved closer and laid his head on his Lady’s arm. He looked her in the eyes, putting on his best kicked kitten face.

“Guh.” She froze, eyes locked on his and seemingly unable to process. Adrien held the kitten eyes for as long as he could before bursting out in laughter. Marinette glared at him for a moment, smacking his arm lightly before collapsing into giggles of her own. Once they regained use of their voices, Marinette directed Adrien to the game system while she went to gather treats for them to share.

Adrien took the opportunity to look around Marinette’s room, trying to fully appreciate the event this time around. _How did I never really notice anything all the times I’ve been here?_ Finding the images of himself on the wall, he scowled for a moment at his own smiling face. _Oh right, she likes the fake._ He shook his head and moved away from the wall, opting to wait in the second chair at Mari’s computer desk. When she burst enthusiastically through the hatch, he jumped involuntarily. He buried his face in his hands as he heard Plagg’s lightly muffled cackling.

“Need a hand?” His own muffled question didn’t do anything to deter Plagg’s laughter.

“Nope, I’ve got it! Thanks!” He sat back and watched as Marinette plopped the selection of treats on the table, removing a tiny pecan dotted frangipane puff and setting it aside.

“For Tikki’s dinner later,” she explained, catching his stare. He nodded and eyed the plate. Croissants were always good, flaky and buttery and smelling every bit the life-giving substance all French citizens knew it to be. Chocolate croissants were a hard one to pass up as well, being all the things a plain croissant was, with the addition of high quality bitter dark chocolate. Perfect for a large cup of café au lait. But the plate also held an individual fruit tartlet and gianduja tort. He wavered painfully before selecting the fruit tartlet, biting into it enthusiastically. He groaned and raised his face to the ceiling, ignoring Marinette’s fluttery giggles as much as he could.

“Oh my God, this is amazing,” he mumbled through a mouthful, dropping crumbs down his front.

_Smooth, Agreste._

Still giggling, Marinette raised a napkin and began to help him. “Here, _mon désordre,_ let’s get you cleaned up before we play.”

Adrien desperately wished he could sink through the floor as his face reddened from embarrassment and proximity to her. It helped a little that Mari’s complexion matched his own at the moment. She bit her lower lip as she finished, pulling away and sitting with him in awkward silence.

“So uh, game?” he croaked, and both scrambled to grab a controller in an attempt to end the discomfort.

Several treats and successful co-op matches later, Adrien stood on the balcony, smiling at Marinette and wishing that knowing his Ladybug’s name and face hadn’t sapped his courage quite like it did. He couldn’t bring himself to behave normally, leaving Marinette’s hand at her side without attempting to kiss the knuckles. He departed with tears in his eyes and a paradox to contemplate.

_How can my heart feel so heavy and light at the same time?_

———

Tikki fluttered in front of Marinette’s face, curious as to the stillness of her charge once Adrien had left.

“What’s wrong, Marinette?”

“He didn’t kiss my hand, Tikki. Or flirt at all really once he saw me. I’d kind of hoped, when I saw he was Adrien…” She gulped for air, “I hoped he’d still be interested. I guess I read him wrong. The flirting must have been meaningless after all.”

“You’re not going to avoid him, are you?” Tikki narrowed her eyes, almost glaring. Marinette turned to the kwami, outraged.

“Of course not! I meant it when I said he’s my very best friend!” Her tone quieted. “I’ll just have to accept that he doesn’t want more from me and that-“ she broke off, containing a heartbroken sob. Tikki’s own heart broke for her. She snuggled close to Marinette’s cheek, nuzzling and attempting a vain sort of comfort.

“I’m sorry Tikki, I-“

“It’s okay, Marinette,” she replied gently, “It’s okay to be sad. Sometimes the tears need to come out before you can move on.” She stayed, cuddled up to Marinette, speaking softly and humming soothing songs from her past while her chosen sank to the floor and cried. 


	3. Differential Movement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien never considered being in love with one of his best friends an actual problem, but knowing who Ladybug is has made his life infinitely harder to deal with. Even so, he’ll take whatever Marinette will give him in their relationship.

It was easier to be friends with her than he’d have guessed.

She was approachable, kind, generous. There wasn’t a person in class who asked for her time and didn’t receive it. When Rose needed advice about what top to pair with a new pair of jeans, Marinette not only had an answer, she excitedly demanded pictures and cooed over how adorable her friend looked. When Kim asked if his new jacket would go with a different hair color, she would pull up reviews for various colorants and brands. When Sabrina surreptitiously inquired about new accessories for a blouse, Mari gave quick responses before Chloe noticed the exchange.

She was more than he could ever have hoped for. And incredibly out of his league.

———

“Hey, Mari? Can I ask you something?” Adrien leaned back against a wall, studying Nino and Alya as they muttered quietly just a few meters away.

“Of course, you can ask me anything Adrien.” He slowly breathed out, turning his head toward Marinette as he formulated how he wanted to begin the request. A sharp jab prodded into his ribs as Plagg tried to remind him of the goal today. _Yes, thank you Plagg, I remember **quite well** that I want to ask this woman out._ Adrien smacked his jacket lightly and Marinette looked confused for a moment before the action dawned on her and she giggled. She pulled Adrien’s hand away from his chest gently and patted the back before pulling her own back slowly. His skin burned where she had touched him, nerves and adoration flaring up in fierce competition.

“Be nice to Plagg, he’s rude but he’s still a good kwami,” she grinned. A muffled noise of agreement filtered out of Adrien’s pocket and he rolled his eyes.

“Mari, would you-?” A howl rang out as Nino somehow managed to injure himself on a tree branch nearby. Marinette ran to help, glaring at Alya, who was doubled over in laughter as her boyfriend groaned pitifully and clutched the side of his head. Adrien suppressed the growl bubbling in his chest and followed Marinette. He watched as she evaluated the scratches decorating Nino’s face before deciding that he would live without emergency services.

“Nino, let’s get you to the nurse, okay?” Adrien pouted internally as Marinette sweetly offered a hand and just as sweetly transferred Nino’s hold over to the still giggling Alya. Allowing them to move out of hearing distance, she turned back to Adrien and cocked her head to the side endearingly.

“What did you need to ask me, Adrien?”

“Oh. Um. I just wanted to know if you could bring some croissants or something to our next patrol? I can bring hot chocolate or tea or something.” He pointedly ignored the claws that angrily attached themselves to his chest and pressed forward with the spontaneous idea. “I thought it might be nice to take a break toward the end and maybe get to spend more time together.”

“Oh! I’d-I’d love yo- _to!_ I’d love to. I can leave some stuff on my balcony, and you can drop the drinks off there before we leave for patrol tomorrow. If that sounds okay.” Marinette pressed her hands together, bringing the tips of her index fingers to her mouth. She smiled nervously behind her hands, flushing pink as she did.

“That sounds great, thank you. We should, ah. Follow Nino and Alya. Make sure Nino gets to the nurse okay.”

“Yeah. Sounds great.” Marinette’s smile didn’t reach her eyes and he didn’t like it. Adrien smiled in answer, only slightly strained, and walked as close to Marinette as he could manage while on the way to the nurse. She studiously avoided eye contact, keeping her eyes trained either directly in front of them or off to the right as they moved. She gave every impression of simply looking around at the trees and flowers nearby, but he couldn’t help but think it was probably her discomfort around him still eating at her.

“Do I make you nervous, Marinette?” He copied Marinette’s example and focused anywhere but at the person he wanted to stare at while he waited for her answer. Luckily he didn’t have to wait long, as he found himself pinned to the spot by flashing blue eyes.

“Excuse me?”

Adrien shrank back. “I mean, you don’t seem comfortable. You said you were okay with it and you showed me who you are, but...you just don’t seem okay. And I want to know if I’m making you uncomfortable.” He desperately tried not to close in on himself, having had the habit trained out of him years ago, but he always seemed to fail at the usual acting tricks around his Lady.

“I- You don’t- I mean, I-“ Marinette glanced down at her bag, and the little spotted head peeking out of it. She took a deep breath and motioned to herself as if psyching herself up for a moment before meeting his eyes. “Adrien.”

“Yes.” He instantly straightened his back, eyes locked and shoulders neutral.

“You’re a little intimidating for me in your civilian form. I’ve...admired your father for a long time and I’ve admired you since you started school. Well. Since the second day at least. I’m working on it, but I’m still going to be a little bit nervous until I can work through all of that. Can I ask you to be patient with me while I’m doing that? Please?” Marinette nibbled at her bottom lip lightly, only losing the eye contact toward the end of her request.

“Oh.” Adrien’s shoulders dropped and he gingerly placed his hands on Marinette’s shoulders in what he hoped was a comforting manner. “My Lady, you can always ask that from me. Will it help if I’m more Chat than Adrien?” He slipped a lopsided grin onto his face and wiggled his eyebrows as much as he could to try and tease a laugh out of her. His grin grew more sincere as the ploy worked, and Marinette cackled loudly at the antics. He joined her after a moment or two, smiling fondly at Marinette clutching her stomach and wheezing.

“Oh my god, Chat’s eyebrows don’t belong on your pretty face.”

“Oh, so you think my face is pretty, My Lady? I told you if you saw me without my mask you wouldn’t be able to resist me.” Adrien leaned further toward Marinette, still sporting his grin that was starting to border on downright _stupid_ at this point. She cackled loudly once more, shoving his face away with her entire palm as she did. She muttered to herself, clearly thinking his hearing wouldn’t pick up her next words.

“Yeah, you were more right about that than I thought.” Adrien froze, stupid smile in place and heart stuttering painfully.

What.

“What.”

“What? Nothing!” Marinette wheeled backwards, giant _I’m-clearly-hiding-something_ smile on her face. “I said we should go check on Nino!”

He prodded at her on the walk, trying to pry more information out of her fruitlessly. Marinette stubbornly refused to speak on the matter again and eventually Adrien had to drop the line of questioning. He did, however, brush his arms against hers as they walked to the infirmary. Even the small amount of touch was better than nothing. He could have some of her and that would have to be enough.

———

It was harder to be in love with her than he’d have guessed.

She was caring, strong, passionate. There wasn’t a conflict that happened where she didn’t defend the defenseless. When Kim dropped a nasty comment, she was there to correct the behavior. When a non-classmate picked on Nathaniel for his quiet nature, she stood defiantly between them to tell the larger boy off. When Lila sniped passive-aggressively at Chloe, she sniped back as subtly as possible.

She was more than he could ever have hoped for. And incredibly out of his league.


	4. Excessive deflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette never considered being friends with someone she loved to be an actual problem, but knowing Adrien is Chat has made keeping her emotions in check much more difficult. All the same, she won’t let it affect their deepening friendship.

It was easier to be in love with him than she’d have guessed.  
  
He was protective, chivalrous, attentive. Every post-reveal akuma that targeted Ladybug was quickly derailed by Chat jumping in and distracting them. He’d pulled back on actually putting himself in danger at her request, but the number of times Ladybug was pulled out of the line of fire didn’t decrease in the least. When a metal rod was flying toward her head, Chat pulled Ladybug down with only moments to spare before it hit. When she lost her attachment point with her yo-yo, Chat caught her before she hit the ground. When an akuma threw her toward the river, Chat cataclysmed a bridge so she didn’t end up taking a swim.  
  
He was more than she could ever have dreamed of wanting. And completely out of her reach.  
  
———  
  
“Chat? Can I ask you a question? Why do you always flirt with me?”  
  
The question had been bugging her for days, ever since the reveal. She just couldn’t get it out of her head, the idea that Chat flirted with everyone. Because yes, he flirted with both Ladybug and Marinette, but she’d never actually witnessed it with anyone else and she couldn’t tell for _sure_ if he was flirting because he liked her or if it was just how he behaved. He might have told Ladybug that he liked her as more than a friend, but that didn’t mean he was serious about the flirting bit. Never mind how much she wished it was reserved solely for her.  
  
Chat froze, a piece of quiche from their shared picnic halfway to his mouth.  
  
Ladybug raised her hand under his and guided the slice toward his slack mouth. “Sorry. Eat your quiche, Kitty.”  
  
He quickly finished the piece, only slightly faster than he normally would. “Um. Do you not like when I flirt with you? I thought I’d been pulling back on that a bit.” He swallowed again, looking more like he did it out of nervousness than having something in his mouth.  
  
_Crap, I’m making him nervous now._ “No! That’s not it. I- It’s fine. I don’t mind, really. I just...I wanted to know _why._ Most of the time, people don’t just flirt with everyone they see, they pick a person and stick with them.” Ladybug picked up a macaron, fiddling with the cookie before breaking it apart and taking a dainty bite out of one side of the little raspberry flavored treat. “I mean, _I_ don’t flirt but that’s because I’m just too nervous to do that. But people that do, it’s usually because they like the person.”  
  
“Oh. Well, I do like you.”  
  
“Yeah, I know, but- You know what, never mind, this is probably a super awkward conversation.” She shoved the other half of the cookie in her mouth and chewed furiously in an attempt to end the conversation entirely. She only glanced at Chat once, wincing at the incredibly confused look on his face.  
  
“You know you can talk to me about anything, My Lady. Right? I’m not going to think it’s too awkward or weird.” Chat delicately placed his hand on Ladybug’s shoulder, and she warmed to the touch. His presence had no right being so comforting. _He doesn’t like you like that, stop pretending it’s going to happen._  
  
She smiled back, hoping against hope that he’d find it sincere and not pained. “I do know that. Thank you, Chat. You’re absolutely my very best friend and I truly treasure that.”  
  
The bright, happy smile he rewarded her with was worth the partial truth.  
  
When they managed to work through a portion of the ridiculous amount of food Ladybug had brought up to their rooftop, Chat rose gracefully to his feet. He stretched his arms over his head, leaning back slightly to elongate his torso. Ladybug tried helplessly not to ogle his stomach muscles while he did. She could almost _hear_ Tikki scolding her for the inappropriate behavior in the back of her head. When his eyes opened again, she hurried to lock her eyes on his and not seem as if she were staring.  
  
Chat flipped open his baton as he tilted his neck side to side. “It’s just about ten now, should we do a quick patrol before calling it a night?” He flipped the baton closed again and smiled down at Ladybug.  
  
She made a quick mental note to be annoyed about their current height difference giving him the opportunity to do so later. “Sure, sounds fine to me. Want to make it a game?” A light grin lit on her face as an idea sparked. If he took the bait, that is.  
  
“Which game?” Immediate suspicion.  
  
_Crap. He might not take the bait._ “Oh, any of our usual ones. We could race to target rooftops, we could try to be the first to complete a circuit, um, there’s always dare? Which one would you like to do?” _Innocent face here Marinette, he’s not gonna buy it otherwise._  
  
“Mmhm, there’s always dare, huh. The one you always win,” he deadpanned.  
  
_Dang it, he didn’t buy it._ “I don’t _always_ win!”  
  
“Yeah, like _one time,_ it’s like a real life version of Mecha Strike for you, no thank you. I want a fair chance of beating you if we’re gonna play a patrol game tonight.” Chat smirked down at Ladybug, trying for stern and failing.  
  
“Fine,” she pouted, “then you pick.”  
  
“Okay. How about truth then? You always said no to that part of the game because we didn’t want to figure out who the other one was under the mask, but since that’s not a concern now...I say we try it. Whoever reaches the target roof first wins the chance to ask a question. Loser answers it.” He folded his arms and stared at her smugly.  
  
Ladybug allowed the little growl in her throat to rumble out a bit. “Sure, we play the game you’re good at then.”  
  
“Pffff, you win at least half of the racing games, you’re just as fast as me. I’m just stealthier than you are and I manage to sneak in at the last minute a lot.”  
  
That smug look wasn’t going away. “Fine. We’ll do a truth race.” She stuck her bottom lip out and pouted masterfully but the grin just got wider and she spun on her heel. She stalked to the edge of the roof. Pulling her yo-yo free, she palmed it and turned her head to watch Chat approach the edge as well. “Where are we racing to first?” She licked her lips nervously and waited.  
  
“Hm. Maybe the Arc de Triomphe?” A curt nod later and they both readied themselves at the edge, tensed to spring.  
  
“Alright, one-”  
  
“Two-“  
  
“Three-“  
  
“GO!” Ladybug threw her yo-yo as hard as she could, willing the end to catch further than normal. She glanced back to see Chat simply leaping off the edge and hurtling toward the ground before extending his baton and launching himself forward rapidly.  
  
The trick to racing Chat was to never assume victory. Ladybug had raced him enough times to know that the second she slowed down and took a breath was the moment he’d swoop in and claim it from her. So she didn’t bother looking back again, going as fast as possible while landing all her shots cleanly so she didn’t have a repeat of the time she slammed into a window and caused Chat to cackle at the thought of a bug hitting a windshield every time she saw him for a week.  
  
The Arc loomed ahead and she pushed her limbs to their limits for the final push, only to lose her grip on her yo-yo as she over enthusiastically placed her final shot. A panicked screech tore out of her throat, but stopped abruptly as Chat’s body slammed into hers and landed neatly on the top of the arch.  
  
Ladybug groaned and buried her face in her hands. “Well, this is embarrassing.”  
  
“Yeah, I’m gonna tease the crap out of you once my heart actually starts up again. Probably gonna be super angry first but right now I’m just glad you’re okay.” Chat set Ladybug down gingerly, like she’d break if he moved too roughly. He held his hand at the small of her back to make sure she was steady before moving a small distance away and meeting her eyes with a worried look in his own.  
  
“I’m fine, Chat, I just missed.” She met his gaze, ignoring the fierce heat crawling up her skin onto her face.  
  
“You’re sure?” He pried just a bit, concern still etched into the lines on his face.  
  
“Yeah, I’m sure. I’m just clumsy sometimes, even with the suit,” she bemoaned, throwing her head back and staring up at the sky. Chat made a slight noise of agreement and Ladybug’s head snapped front to glare at her cat. A lopsided grin adorned his face and it simply grew as she stared back, annoyed at his agreement.  
  
“Well, My Lady, if you’re sure you’re okay, I guess I get to ask my question then.”  
  
“What?! This doesn’t count Chat, we got here at the same time!” The words tumbled out in an undignified squawk and Ladybug suppressed the urge to bury her face again.  
  
“It absolutely does, I hit the roof well before you did, and also I rescued you. I win, you have to answer a question of mine.” His little grins and smirks were getting annoying.  
  
“Fine. What do you want to know?”  
  
“Favorite gemstone.” Chat crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for her response.  
  
“I-what? Of all the things you could have asked, you pick that?”  
  
“I mean, yes. It’s relevant? I know the colors you like, now that I know who you are, so that’s not a good starting point. And I could ask your birthstone, but I can look that up since I know when your birthday is. It’s just...okay, so Father says you can always tell a lot about a person by what their personal taste in accessories are. Chloé seems kind of vapid, but the only necklace she wears is sentimental, from her Dad. Then the glasses are a nod to her mom. So, already you know that family means more to her than she’d ever actually _say._ So, I guess I figured gemstone was a good starting place.”  
  
“Huh. That’s really well thought out, Chat, I-“  
  
He muttered his next words so quietly she almost didn’t catch them. “Plus, I need to know what you like in jewelry so I can buy it.”  
  
_What._  
  
“What?”  
  
“Gemstone! What kind you like!”  
  
Ladybug narrowed her eyes but nothing she did was budging his overly fake expression that he’d plastered on his face. She growled and put a finger to her mouth as she turned her attention to the question instead. “Jade.”  
  
“Really? Kind of a more common one, isn’t it? Isn’t jade a stone, not a gem?”  
  
She glared again. “Yes, _fine,_ it’s not a gemstone. But I like jade. Maman always has a piece somewhere in the house, it’s supposed to be good luck.” Ladybug folded her arms in a conscious mirror of Chat’s posture.  
  
He responded by unfolding his and holding his hands up in a sign of surrender. “I’m not judging, Bug. I’m just surprised. But I guess I shouldn’t be, given that you’d know _all about_ luck, wouldn’t you?” Dang it, the smirk was back. She’d have to learn how to like it instead of letting it annoy her when he started teasing. He leaned his face near hers, never losing the stupid look on his face and Ladybug responded by placing her palm directly over it and pushing him back.  
  
“Right, so La Tour Eiffel next? I won’t slip this time, kitty cat, so watch your back.”  
  
—  
  
“Favorite animal?” She plucked the question out of nowhere, a random and useless question on the heels of his meaningful gemstone one. Ladybug internally slapped herself for the inanity.  
  
His eyes narrowed a bit. “In general or pets?”  
  
“Ummmm, pet.” _I guess it could be a sign if he likes-_  
  
“Hamsters.”  
  
_Oh my god it’s a sign._ “I thought for sure you’d say cats.” Ladybug giggled as she considered Chat surrounded by an entire pile of sleeping cats as he napped on a sunny, pillow filled spot. But was drawn back to him as he shuddered in mock horror.  
  
“Yeah, no, Plagg is more than enough for me.” She cackled in response.  
  
—  
  
“Sewing or knitting?”  
  
“Sewing, but I’ll knit for someone I really care about.” _Like you,_ she mused, once more lamenting the fact that she’d never be able to tell him about the gift she’d given him.  
  
“Huh, Father does the same. He did make that scarf for me.”  
  
She choked.  
  
—  
  
“Croissants or macarons?” Ladybug was entirely out of ideas. She’d just picked the first thing that came to mind. Apparently as a baker’s daughter the first thing that came to mind was food.  
  
“That is an a _bun_ dantly unfair question to ask.” Her eye twitched slightly as she realized his smile was just a teensy bit too broad for that statement to be completely innocent.  
  
She narrowed her eyes in pretend annoyance and stared as sternly as she could at him. “Chat, was that a bread pun?”  
  
“What? It wasn’t _crumby._ ” Yeah, that smile was too big. He was doing this on purpose.  
  
Ladybug shot to her feet, pretending to be more annoyed than she truly felt. She dramatically mimed leaving. “Nope, I’m out.”  
  
“ _Leaven_ so early?”  
  
_Dang, he’s quick with these. I bet he’s just spending hours on the internet, hoping he’ll get to use one on me._ “Auuuuugh, Chat! Question!”  
  
“Oh, croissants, you can still eat them days after hiding them in your room and they don’t taste stale.”  
  
“...There’s a story there.” He only nodded and refused to elaborate.  
  
—  


“If you could see any performer, living or dea-“

“Jagged Stone.”  
  
“Oh. Yeah, me too. Probably could have guessed that one.”  
  
—  
  
“This has to be the last one, Chat, it’s getting really late. How about a finale? Pick a good one.”  
  
He tapped his fingers against his chin and stared up at the stars for a moment. “How about...What’s your ideal first date?”  
  
She choked again. _How many times am I going to choke on nothing when he talks to me?_ He patted her back good-naturedly and Ladybug gave herself a quick mental pep talk to get through the next couple of minutes. “Okay, um. I haven’t given this a _lot_ of thought, so bear with me.”  
  
He nodded, eyes bright and open.  
  
“Um, I would want to go out on a day that’s nice and sunny. Maybe when the open air market is in session. And just kind of walk around for a bit? Have something to eat and share and get a chance to talk and get to know each other. Without pressure of course, but a chance to figure out if the person is someone I’d want to be with, long term.”  
  
“Like an interview?”  
  
“Shh, still talking. But yes, like an interview. And I want to hear what he likes about me and let me tell him what I like about him even if it’s embarrassing, and get to hear what each other likes to have out of a relationship. Like, does he like gifts, or does he want to have me slip him little notes every day, stuff like that. And like, going to lunch or dinner would be nice too? But mostly for a chance to spend more time together and talk.” She smiled fondly up at Chat as she finished talking. And froze as she remembered once again that she was currently speaking to the star of those fantasies.  
  
His eyes turned down to stare at the roof and she relaxed. “Huh. Good to know.” He lifted his head and checked the time. A grimace stretched his mouth. “It’s well past time to be in bed, My Lady, I think we’d better call it a night.” He popped the baton to full length, spinning it a bit at his side before planting it in the gravel of the rooftop.  
  
“Good night then, Chat. See you in class.” Ladybug turned and walked to the edge of the building for the last time that night. She turned back for a moment to wave at him. Chat waved back and she leapt from the roof into the night.  
  
———  
  
  
It was harder to be his friend than she’d have guessed.  
  
He was kind, patient, sweet. There wasn’t a day that he didn’t pluck her heartstrings with how _good_ he was. When akuma attacks were over, he was by the victim’s side to comfort them and assure them of how nothing that happened was their fault. When an akuma hit him, he never retaliated angrily, but instead focused on the goal. When everything was over, he checked in on Ladybug to make sure she wasn’t hurt despite the Miraculous Cure fixing everything.  
  
He was more than she could ever have dreamed of wanting. And completely out of her reach.


End file.
